George s



AG. s. GRIGGS.

Car Brake.

No, 1,452. l l Patented Dec. 31, 1839.

c? f`| EL I ll 1 1 0- E: E I EEE l y El 'Y El F f l l I a l i f l 2E l /fssm E* lz' //\\HH//f\\ /\\\HH /f\\\ :d .f1 l. E Jl the shaft or axle (s, s) of the car-wheelsV GEORGE Si. GRIGGS,

OF' ROXBURY,

MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-.ACTING SAFETY-BRAKE FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,452, kdated December 31, 1839.

To aZZ 10h-0m, it may concern Be it lmown that I, the undersigned, GEORGE S. Games, of Roxbury, in the county of Norfolk, in the State of Massachusetts, engineer, and a native citizen of the United States of America, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brakes for Railroad- Cars, which I call my Self-Acting Safety- Brake, of which the following is a true and full description, viz:

I have a shaft or axle (X Figures 2, 3 in the annexed drawing) supported in boxes or bearings in the bottom frame, or in ixtures connected with or attached to the bottom frame of the ear. On this shaft or axle is a loose pulley (WV, Figs. l, 2, 3) capable of being p-ut intogear or out of gear with the shaft (X, Figs. 2, 3).v This loose pulley is driven by a band (b, Figs. 1, 3) passing also over a fixed pulley upon (Q, Figs. l, 3) or over the shaft itself. A

f chain or rope, or connecting gear, consisting partly Vof a rod and partly of a chain or rope (a, Figs. 1, 3) is att-ached at one end to the shaft (X, Figs. 2, 3) on which is the lloose pulley (W, Figs. 1, 2, 3), the rope or chain being so attached that it may be wound around that shaft or laxis or around a pulley fixed to it. made to revolve by the-V loose pulley (l/V, Figs. 1, 2, 3), beingput in gear with it by means of a clutch. The other end of this connecting gear (a, Figs. 1, 3) is attached to a lever (Z, Figs. l, 2, 3) and if the car be double, as it is represented' to be in the drawing, and' the self-acting b-rake is applied to both sets of wheels another connecting ropel or chain (a, Figs. 1, 3) is attached to another similar lever (m, Figs. l, 3), which levers move each on a pivot (l, Fig. 3), fixed in the crossp-iece or connecting beam (4, 4, Figs. 2, 3) of the lower ends of the brakes (U, U, Figs. 1, 2, 3, on one side and T,1T, Figs. l, 3, on the other side), the brakes being constructed and adjusted in the usual manner. In the annexed drawings the pivots of the levers (Z, fm., Figs. l, 3) are supported by a fixture standing on the crosspieces (4, 4, Figs. 2 and 3), but the manner of supporting or adjusting the pivot may be varied, as will be obvious. The crosspieces or connecting beams (5, 5, Fig. 3) at the lower ends of the brakes (S, S, and V, V,

5 Figs. 2 and 3) have each a staple (6), to

This shaft or axis is which is connected a rod (fwon one side and 'y on the other), the opposite ends of which rods hook into holes (2) for the levers (Z on one sideand m on the other). Thedrawings'show two Vholes (2 and 3) in the levers by'which the rods (fw and y) take hold of these levers, and the number of holes in each may be increased, the object being to change the leverage if desirable, as will be obvious.

It is evident that by revolving the shaft or axis (X, Figs. 2, 3) and winding the rope or chain or ropes or chains (a, Figs. l, 3) around ,it the brakes (S, T, U, V, Figs. 1, 2 and 3) will bear upon their respect-ive wheels and very soon cause suthcient friction to stop their revolutions and cause them to slide on the rails until the tra-in is stopped. To cause this shaft-(X, Figs. 2 and 3) to revolve, the loose pulley (W, Figs. l, 2, 3) is clutched by the clutch (c, 0, Figs. 2 and 3), the dogs of which (d, CZ) take hold upon pins (P, Figs. l, 3) standing out horizontally from the loose pulley W. The clutchy may be constructed in a variety of ways, the particular form of it not being material. The clutch is clutched and unclutched by sliding it on its shaft by means vrof a rod (1, Figs. 2 and 3) which takes hold of the'clutch (c, c, Figs. 2 and 3) by means of a fork, but might take hold otherwise, the different modes of taking hold being a matter of familiar practice in mechanics. The clutch rod (r, Figs. 2 and 3) and so the clutch c, c, is governed and operated by a perpendicular rod (t, Figs. l and 3,) hav# ing an elbow at the lower end, as shown in the drawing (Fig-.1). The top of this perpendicularrod (e, Figs. 1 and 2) standing just above the'top of the cars is in the form of a. T, having a line attached to each of the Y arms, by pulling one of which lines the rod is revolved partly in one direction to draw 3) and thus the clutch is unclutched and the pulley (V, Figs. l and 2) is loosened and by drawing the other it is clutchedL and the shaft is made to revolve with that pulley and the brakes to bear and stop the tra-in.y The lines attached to the 'T may be carried to any part of the train, so that the engineer or any other person on any part of the train may govern the brakes and stop the train at any time.

The advantages of this apparatus are that rout the horizontal clutch rod (r, Figs. 2 and theexpense of brakemenmay be saved and the cars may be checked as soon as the engineer or any' person vforward sees danger, and the apparatus is'V much more effectual for this purpose than 'brakemeln andthe danger arising from the brakementjnmping oli", as they sometimesdo,` is avoided and Y, the train is stopped much more suddenly than'by brakemen,'and without `any shock or strain, and inlccaseV of some carsvof the train 'brealringloose5 as they lsometimesl do, the linesmay be-soadjusted that thelline for stopping; the loosecars Will,`by the very eircumstanceof their breaking loose be Y drawn until theyf are partedand the loose ears thus stopped instead Vof drifting along the railway, as-they sometimes have done, to the great jeopardy of passengersfr When the motion of the train -is` merely tofbe checked? but the train Vnot stopped, the Y brakesof one or` ltvvo ears; or more, that is Y as many as may be suificientfor lthe purpose, may be made tobear upon the Wheels, the

Y stopping of which andthei'rslidingon the rails may'besucient to cheek the as much as may be desired.

AVI' cla-im as my invention and the subject of a"`pafteI1t-` 1 Thel causing of. the revolution of the Wheels to operateu the `brakes of railroad speed cars "in the manner'and'lby the mechanical contrlvance above deser1bed, or 1n any mannerV orby anylmeehanical contrivance sub- `stantially the V,same and :varying Vtherefrom` only in form,f or the constructionyas Will be evdentfto anymechanic conversant with the' subject', maybe varied in its mereform very muchV Without any y invention,v or c the introduction of 'any new principle;`

`In-Witness whereof "Lvthe said GEORGE S.

VGranges, heretosubscribe my name .in the presence `of .the Witnesses Whose names are Vhereto subscribed on'the fifth day of DecemberyA. "13,1839. i i

` nGEORGES. GRIGGS. Witnesses: i

MDANLt TREADWELM:

WILLARDPHILLIPS. 1 y 

